what percentage of taxes do people who live with socialism have to pay?

Question

Its for my project due tomorrow and i need an answer pronto because i cant find the  answer anywhere online and i also need to know what are other cons for socialism 

Answer 1

The answer to this question varies and is often dependent upon income level. The wealthy may be taxed up to 80% of their income in some western European democracies and the poor may not pay any taxes. Please note that I am referencing socialist democracies, like Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, etc. They are not authoritarian regimes and they do not classify themselves as communist. Interestingly, the United states actually had an upper income tax percentage of 80% for the wealthiest among us as recently as 1988.

Answer 2

People "who live with socialism" ? You mean in Cuba? North Korea? I'm curious, what do you mean by "socialism"? Also, you are saying you need to "know (other) cons". Your assignment asks for cons only? Not pros AND cons?

What actually is a country in which citizens would "live with socialism" ? I'm asking this because you make it sound like an unfortunate and unalterable fate. So let's clarify a bit:

From a European perspective there are, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states, very few countries left in the world that are socialist. What's more, I do not believe that the people in those truly socialist countries actually pay/payed any taxes at all, at least not in any way that could be compared to our tax system. So we'd have to define first what you mean by "living with socialism".

I suspect that you mean living in places like Sweden, or Denmark, or perhaps Germany. If that's the case it's important to understand that in those countries no one would use the word 'socialism' to describe either their societies or their economies. Instead, most would describe them as market economies, perhaps even free-market economies, albeit ones where the harshest effects of raw capitalism are mitigated by government regulations. In Germany, the term "social market economy" is used - approvingly! - by nearly everyone, even by the country's largest conservative party, chancellor Merkel's CDU.

Your assignment is based on the idea that some countries "live with socialism" and others don't - presumably the latter live with capitalism. Sure, the US is widely considered the country with the least regulated, and therefore most capitalist economy in the world. But regulations exist here, too (think of OSHA, employment regulations, environmental rules, to name only a few). No country truly practices pure capitalism, so in a way, the difference between the US and Western and Northern Europe is not a categorical one (socialism vs. freedom) but more one of degree. Governments and societies throughout most of Europe are organized under constitutions that guarantee in effect largely the same rights as the US constitution. In any case, socialism, there, if you absolutely insist on calling it that, is not a state system or in any way constitutionally mandated. That would have been the old USSR.

With that clarified - just in case! - now to your question about the taxes: I would urge caution when it comes to comparing tax rates between European countries and the US. The result would be meaningful only if you factored in a host of benefits and perks that the citizens of these countries enjoy and that no one there, even if they sometimes complain about high taxes, would want to miss. Ask a German about the cost of college or grad school (its largely free). Ask them if they would want to swap their healthcare system (which is not government run) with the one in the US (they would not dream of doing that, and in case you wondered: life expectancy is higher everywhere in Europe). How about 6 weeks of paid vacation, widely availabe child care, well functioning public institutions? Police forces that are well educated and trained and largely respected across a wide spectrum of society? So yes, they do pay more taxes but can you compare the rates in any meaningful way?

My position is perhaps a bit one-sided. I am sure that many objections can be raised. It would probably be fair, for instance, to point out that the US federal budget is burdened by military spending to a far greater extent than the national budget of any European country. The debate about the contributions of EU countries to the NATO alliance, in which the last 4 or 5 American presidents have been urging more European spending, seems only fair. All of that ought to be considered.

But my main point is: the tax rate itself really doesn't mean much! When it comes to quality of life, you have to look at the whole picture: How stressed out is everyone? What about anger, violence? Are people burdened by consumer debts? College debts? How many declare bankruptcy over hospital bills? Are they working two jobs and still can't pay the rent?

And be careful what you mean by "socialism". Learn to distinguish it clearly from "social-democracy" or "Nordic System". The latter two are not written down in any constitution - so strictly speaking, no one is "living with" them like living with some kind of unalterable fate. Instead, both are more like a broad societal consensus, subject to debate and to gradual improvements, but widely accepted and clearly preferred to unregulated cut-throat capitalism. Both are practiced in democratic countries where voters could easily vote for parties who propose other models. But for the most part, since 1945, they have not done that.

Answer 3

Different countries will have different tax rates. There is no single "standard" tax rate for socialism. Each country that uses a socialist system sets their own tax rates. Like within the US, there may be different tax rates for healthcare, import/export, sales, payroll, etc. For example, food tax where I live is 4.5%. Payroll tax is 33%. Self-employed income tax is 15%.

You can find this information by searching the internet using search terms like, "Canada tax rate" or "Canada income tax rate." Australia, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland and most industrialized nations other than the U.S. have socialized healthcare.

Answer 4

Socialism demands a higher tax rate to provide socialist programs. The government holds the pursestrings to the detriment of free enterprise and capitalism, which encourage innovation, ambition and entrepreneurship, giving individuals the opportunity to make unlimited wealth. The irony here is that the lower the taxes, the more bustling the economy and the greater the government revenue!

Answer 5

Most developed countries have a graduated income tax. Poor people pay very little or nothing, while wealthy pay a higher percentage of their incomes. Check for countries that self-identify as socialist; then search for each country's tax rate.

Note that in socialist country's the government provides many services to its citizens such as medical care, child care, maternity care, as well as education and infrastructure allowing people to enjoy a higher living standard than their income would indicate.